Eastbound and down, loaded up and truckin',
we're gonna do what they say can't be done.
We've got a long way to go, and a short time to get there!
I'm eastbound, just watch that creepy, new Mr Peanut Ruuuuun.

You can make him a hobo, just give me some PB Crisps!
(you remember, the peanut butter-filled peanuts)
I loved those.
(the chocolate ones were also pretty good. I think there might have been a few other Crisps, but those are the ones I remember)

Something tells me Mr Peanut would have made an amazingly creepy video game character, but a hell of a cool one,
Hell, they made several video games starring shitty, bland, junk like Spot (7-Up) and Chester Cheetah (Cheetos).

I checked out the Mr. Peanut Wikipedia entry to see about the 1949-2001 gap. It's dreadfully small and didn't tell me anything. Someone should really get cracking on expanding that. Fifteen years from now, when Wikipedia is our only source on past knowledge, nobody will know a damn thing about Mr. Peanut except that his clothes symbolize fresh taste.

ANYWAY, the links at the bottom pointed me to a Planters history page, which featured a timeline that I was sure would be helpful. It wasn't. Barely tells anything about Mr. Peanut's past designs. I did however learn that Planters unsalted, roasted peanuts were introduced in 1973.

I redirect my attention to the Planters ad Gallery why the heck not. HERE is where I find what I seek. A little animation of Mr. Peanut evolving through time! It seems that the current design was introduced in 1962, just as LocalH suggested, and about 39 years before the timeline in the article claims. Not only that, but they also left many of his early incarnations out entirely, including his very first design from 1922!

Spotted on an OUTRAGEOUS hacker site.
Mr. Peanut is now hacked into a rohm, graciously. We don't care who wins. What happens, now, is yet another chapter in the devolution of Mr. Peanut. I roar in rage.